


Silent Compassion

by MusicalSurge



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Adopted Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Asexual Character, Bad Potter Family, Blind Harry, Blindness, Crippled Harry, Dark Harry Potter, Disability, Evil Albus Dumbledore, Goblins, Good Malfoy Family (Harry Potter), Good Severus Snape, Good Tom Riddle, Harry Potter Has a Twin, Kid Fic, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Multi, OOC, OOC Severus - Freeform, Sane Tom Riddle, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Sick Harry, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry, Trauma, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:07:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalSurge/pseuds/MusicalSurge
Summary: When Harry Potter was 5, his whole world changed. For better and for worse. Watch as small and abused Harry turns into the strong, smart, and deadly Slytherin Hadrian Prince. And what's this about a mysterious Boy-Who-Lived, Donovan James Potter?
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape
Comments: 85
Kudos: 787
Collections: Harry Potter Centric Fanfiction





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first time writing fanfiction so please be nice while I try to work out all the plot points and what I am keeping at canon and what I am changing up. I have spent many years reading HP fanfics so now I am going to try my hand at writing one. I hope it isn't horrible and everyone likes it. 
> 
> Huge shoutout to my proofreader and editor Lillie!

When it happened Harry Potter was five years old. 

It had been his birthday last week, not that anyone celebrated that, but he had overheard his Aunt Petunia mentioning his day of birth to Uncle Vernon and what a waste of a day it was. Harry knew that since his birthday his Aunt had been planning something for him, maybe for the first time acknowledging their relationship, and hopefully the chance to get his first birthday present. 

So when Uncle Vernon yanked Harry out of his cupboard and told him to get into the car, he had hope that this was his present finally. He went to the car without fuss, looking over his shoulder he saw his Aunt saying goodbye to Uncle Vernon and closing the door. He had never gotten to ride in the car before, but he knew his Uncle’s rules on making a fuss, so he tried his best to contain his excitement. 

Uncle Vernon lumbered his way over to the car, pushing Harry into the back seat and snapping at him to not touch anything of Dudley’s before getting in and starting the car. Harry pulled his knees close to his chest and hugged them to stay as small as possible. If he behaved then maybe he would receive his present. 

Harry wasn’t sure how long they had been driving but their little suburb had turned into the countryside and then into the woods. Something felt wrong to Harry when Uncle Vernon turned onto a dirt road that had a sign saying: Dead End, at the beginning of it. Harry was too afraid to voice his concern to Uncle Vernon though, who seemed to be getting happier the farther they drove. 

When they reached the end of the road, Uncle Vernon turned the car off and Harry looked around to find… nothing. Just the woods. No trails, houses, or cars in sight. The bad feeling grew within Harry, a nauseous feeling rising within his stomach. 

“Get out of the car freak!” Uncle Vernon bit out harshly, getting out of the car himself. 

Harry didn’t see much of a choice but to listen to his Uncle, so he got out of the car. He tried to listen to see if there was something around that he just couldn’t see, he was only 5 you know. But there was nothing, it seemed as if even the wind had gone silent, holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come. The only thing he could hear was Uncle Vernon’s laboring breaths and heavy footsteps coming toward him. 

“You have been nothing but a dangerous nuisance to my good and normal family since you got dumped on our doorstep!” Vernon yelled, grabbing Harry by the front of his baggy hand me down shirt and shaking him. “Not even your parents wanted you! They dumped you off with us and now I have had enough of your freakish presence!” 

Harry was confused and scared. Never had Uncle Vernon been this angry before, and what did he mean his parents dumped him? His parents were dead, weren’t they?  
“I-I’m sorry Uncle, I can do better. I promise!” Harry tried to say, but Uncle Vernon shook him harder. 

“You are going to pay and then you are never going to bother me or my family ever again!” Uncle Vernon said, his spittle spraying Harry’s face. 

Vernon then let go of Harry’s shirt and grabbed him by his hair, pulling him further into the woods. Once they reached a small clearing that Vernon deemed far enough in, he let go of the boy’s hair. The boy, for he refused to use his name, dropped to the ground gracelessly. He could tell the freak was already trying not to cry, making him grin ferally. 

“I am going to teach you a lesson about messing with normal people you little freak! By the end of this, you will never again force your unwanted self onto others who have better things to do than deal with you.” Vernon said nastily, watching some of the light dim in the boy’s eyes. Smiling at the accomplishment of his words, he then struck him. One hard smack across the face sent his head bouncing against the ground with a hard crack. That sound was music to his ears. The boy was crying in earnest now though and that just would not do.

“Going to blubber about one little smack are you freak? I will give you something to cry about.” Vernon growled as he pulled the boy back up on his feet by his hair. He then grabbed the boy’s face, put his thumbs over those wide beseeching eyes, and pushed in as hard as he could. He felt that pop of the boy’s eyes like a too soft grape and then the scream of pain as blood and what was left of the freak’s eyes began to leak out of his eye sockets and down his face. 

While Vernon felt immense satisfaction by the damage he had caused the boy, he was afraid the freak’s screams would eventually bring someone looking and they couldn’t have that. He still had much more he wanted to do to the boy. Vernon then took off his belt and used it to gag the boy so even if he did make noise, barely a sound would be heard by any who could be nearby.

Taking his time to view the bloody boy’s face, he decided that the freak needed a body to match his messed up face, it was only fair after all. Vernon kicked into the boy’s sternum with more power and speed than you would expect from a man of his size. When Vernon’s foot connected with the freak’s body, he heard something snap and the boy trying to scream around his gag. It brought so much joy to Vernon to finally give the freak what he deserved, also he enjoyed the feeling of power he had over the boy.

Vernon could kill the freak if he wanted to. No one would miss him and it is unlikely anyone would find his body. But in a rare moment of intelligence, Vernon knew keeping the boy alive to deal with his injuries would be much crueler than the mercy death would bring him. So Vernon spent the next hour breaking as many bones as he could before the boy passed out from the pain and it was ruining his fun. 

So he left Harry there, on the ground, in the woods, unconscious.

When Vernon got back to the car, he grabbed some baby wipes from the trunk that he had from Dudley’s many messes, cleaned himself up, got back in his car, and drove home. He was greeted by his lovely wife, a hot meal, and his sweet Dudley. There was also a newfound peace over the family, they no longer had to worry about that freak or what he could do to them. If only they knew what was to come in a few years…

Back in the woods, Harry laid beaten, bloody, broken, and unconscious on the damp earthen floor. That was until a dark figure stumbled across him as the sun was setting and the cold had begun to seep into the ground. The dark figure had almost missed the boy entirely, if he hadn’t been looking for lunar fungi this might’ve been an incredibly different story. Thankfully Severus Snape was a very thorough man and also a man who always carried an emergency stash of potions. Enough to stabilize even the most tortured looking child he had ever seen in his life.


	2. Chapter 1

When Severus had gone out on that cool August evening to search for lunar fungi to put in his newest potion experiment, he did not expect to come home with a child instead. 

The child was so small and broken, even just lying on his four-poster bed the boy just screamed vulnerability. Severus had done all he could when he had found the boy to stabilize him and now was waiting for his private healer, Nicholas Griffiths, to show up and tell him if the child was as bad as he thought. Suddenly the floo flared in the living area and the wards alerted him of Nicholas’ entrance to his home. 

“Severus?” Nicholas called out, it was rare that Severus wasn’t there to greet him. He had always been a stickler for manners, even when they attended Hogwarts together.   
“In the bedroom Nick,” Severus called back, not willing to leave the boy’s side even to go greet his old friend.

“Severus, you better have a bloody good reason for calling me in the middle of the night, being so cryptic, and then not even a greeting me into your home?” Nick complained as he walked back through the halls of the house and into the back bedroom he knew to be Severus’. Nick stopped in the doorway to take in the scene in front of him. 

Severus was sitting next to his bed, which struck him as odd until he saw the body of a small child, maybe 3 or 4 years old laying in Severus’ bed. He could see the child was struggling to breathe, the beginnings of bruising highlighting his face and exposed arms. His left arm looked to be broken in two separate spots. Immediately he began to cast diagnosis charms and whipping out his emergency medical kit he had brought with him at Severus’ insistence, finally understanding the urgency of his earlier floo call. 

“What do you know about this Severus? Who is this boy and where did you find him?” Nick spouted off as he readied his needed tool and began to read the diagnostics scan that was glowing around the boy’s body.

“I don’t know much, I found him out in the woods near here while looking for potion ingredients. I stopped the bleeding as much as I could and added splints to his arms and legs. I then called you since I wasn’t sure what attacked such a small child.” Severus said mournfully. He wishes he had taken that medi-wizard course he had turned down during his apprenticeship now more than ever. 

“According to the scan you probably saved his life with what you did do Severus, do not beat yourself up. His hair is matted with blood and hiding what looks to be a nasty concussion as well as a fracture to his skull. Bruising is evident on about 70% of his body. With the way the wounds are placed, I would say he curled in on himself to make himself a smaller target, which seems to have also saved his life. The strength behind these wounds are brutal, no mercy was shown. Someone much bigger and stronger inflicted these, if I was a gambler I would say it could only be an adult or older teen that did this kind of damage. It is hard to tell with this kind of scan but I would say he has at least sixty bones that are broken or fractured in some way. His eyes… His eyes have been gouged out. Going back further it looks like he was either abused or living on the streets with this kind of stunted growth and malnutrition. What is odd is the fact that he seems to have a foreign object within a cursed scar on his head. I’ll get a better look at it once we have him cleaned up and healed a bit.” Nick reported to Severus, slipping into his professional monotone. 

Severus couldn’t believe the child was alive with that much damage to such a small body. “Will you be able to save his eyes?” Severus asked in the calmest tone he could manage. The thought of someone doing this to a child made his stomach turn, and he had been a part of the death eater raids only a few years prior. 

“Not likely. There are spells we can do to help him sense the area around him, but not even a magical eye could help him at this point. But we will see once I get him healed. I suggest you go get some rest, Severus. I will be working for several hours on this poor boy.” Nick said kindly as he got to work.

Severus wanted to argue but he ultimately knew Nick was right. He would be of no use at this stage and would only be in the way. “My private stock of potions is open to you. Whatever you need is yours. I will go try to get some rest if I can. Will you alert me when you have finished?”

“If you insist, now go get some sleep.” Nick nodded at him and looked pointedly toward the door. 

Severus obeyed even if he wasn’t happy about it. Once he was back in the living area he slumped into his favorite chair in front of the fireplace deep in thought as to who the boy could be. As Severus’ mind wandered, he started to doze off without really realizing it. His last thought before dropping into sleep was wondering what color the poor damaged boy’s eyes had been before they had been ruthlessly gouged out. 

Severus awoke to sunshine stabbing his eyelids and the smell of coffee in the air. He groaned, wondering why he hadn’t shut the curtains before falling asleep. As he was wiping the grime from his eyes the memories of last night came rushing back all at once. Standing straight up and looking around frantically until he heard a chuckled from the direction of his kitchen. Turning around he saw Nick leaning on his kitchen island, drinking coffee, and looking exhausted. 

“How is he?” Severus asked his voice rough from sleep.

“I wish I had something good to tell you, but I won’t lie to you, Severus. It's really bad. I have done all I can do healing wise. He is going to need months of physical therapy, psychiatric therapy, and a lot of time to adjust to being essentially blind now. That little boy’s life has been permanently changed.” Nick spoke solemnly.

Severus sat back down, still facing Nick. “We don’t even know his name or if he has family out there somewhere. Should I bring this issue to the ministry?” Severus said warily. Nick was already shaking his head no. 

“You know how the ministry is. Incompetent and money-hungry the lot of them. They would do more damage to that poor kid. Your best bet is to request a private meeting with the goblins I think. Have them run a blood diagnosis and a heritage ritual, maybe even see what they can offer healing wise for the boy.”

Severus nodded and suddenly felt heavy with the responsibility of taking care of an unknown little boy until a family could be found. “I will write out a letter today, see if the goblins would be willing to meet here and not at the bank. I do not want that little boy in public until we know more.”

“Good idea. I will leave you a list of the potions that he is going to need over the next several weeks. I will be back tonight to check on him. I don’t expect him to wake up for a few days. I put him in a light magic healing coma so his body and magic could recover. “

“His magic?”

“Yes, it seems his magic had begun to try to heal the worst of his wounds and may have even provided a small buffer against the pain he had experienced, it drained his magic reserves,” Nick said with slight awe in his voice. Not that Severus could blame him. Very few children indeed had such strength to their magic to provide so much help. 

Nick stood up, dumped his cooling coffee down the drain, and washed his cup out the muggle way before heading for the floo. He stopped long enough to put his hand on Severus’ shoulder and squeeze lightly in reassurance. “We will help this kid as much as we both can Severus, and that is all we can do. I believe that he is going to be a fighter. Nick said with a firm nod before releasing Severus and taking the floo back to his flat.

Severus sat for a moment longer in his quiet living area before heading back to the bedroom to check on his new responsibility. He felt in his gut that they had started down a new path that they had no way to retreat from by taking in this little boy. As Severus looked at the boy’s small healing body, he couldn’t find any regret within him for doing so.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I didn't expect such an amazing response from everyone so thank you so much! Most everyone's questions will be answered in the next few chapters so you will just have to wait and see!

It was six days later that Harry finally woke up.

Severus had made an appointment with the Goblins, with the agreement that they wouldn’t meet until the boy had woken up and could speak his own part. Many things could be said about the goblins but they were sticklers to freewill and their clients making their own unbiased choices, as well as mistakes. 

In his off time, Severus had been reading to the boy because he had read somewhere that those in a coma were rumored to be able to still hear what was happening around them. Today was no different. Severus was reading the Fountain of Fair Fortune from a well-loved version of the Tales of Beadle and Bard when the boy gave a small uncomfortable groan. Severus quickly closed the book, set it to the side, and watched with nervous anticipation. He observed how the boy’s whole body started to tense up with awareness, the boy slowed his breaths and tried to even them out. He made a good imitation of sleep if Severus hadn’t been watching him for nearly a week now. 

Quietly Severus pulled his wand out of his sleeve to summon his patronus. Sending it to Nick as their pre-arranged signal for the boy waking up while he wasn’t around. He quickly hid his wand back in its sheath on his arm once again. He didn’t want to startle the boy if he didn’t know about magic yet, for all he knew this could be a muggle-born. 

“I know you are awake, but I do not want you to start panicking. My name is Severus Snape, I found you in the woods very injured. Please try not to move too much, you are still healing.” Severus said in the quietest, calmest timber that he could produce. 

The small boy’s head turned towards the voice, whimpering quietly at the movement. The child’s mouth opened to try to speak but quickly closed it, licking at his lips to try to bring forth some moisture.

“I am going to prop you up and help you drink some water, okay?” Severus said softly, being very slow and deliberate where he placed his hands on the child as to not startle him too badly. He still flinched a little but allowed for Severus to move him up into a sitting position so he could drink without choking. Severus silently and wandlessly conjured a cup and some water, guiding the boy in drinking slowly, praising him softly for his cooperation and trust. 

“Can you tell me your name? Or give me something I can call you?” Severus asked after setting the empty glass aside on the nightstand.

“They called me freak or boy…” the child said in a quiet raspy voice. 

Severus had to hold in his anger and disbelief at the resigned acceptance the boy had toward the supposed names he had been assigned to by whoever he used to be with. 

“Well, I won’t call you either of those, since they are not proper good names for a smart child such as you,” Severus spoke firmly on the matter. They would just have to learn his proper name through the goblins. 

“I’m sorry sir.” The child said timidly, his tone betraying his confusion. 

“Why are you sorry?”

“That I don’t have a good name for you to call me?” The child didn’t seem confident in if that was what he should be sorry for specifically. 

“Do not be sorry for that which you cannot control, it is a sign of weakness, and most importantly you take responsibility for a guilt that isn’t yours to have,” Severus said seriously, but not harshly. He didn’t want to scare the already traumatized child that reminded him too much of himself at that age. 

“I will try…” The child looked thoughtful, taking his words and seriously ruminating on what he said which made Severus all the more pleased. “Sir? Why can’t I see?”

Severus sighed, he didn’t have a good answer for him and he had hoped Nick would have been here to answer the question more professionally than he could. “Oh child, I wish I had a kinder way to tell you. So instead I will settle for honesty. Whoever attacked you damaged your eyes beyond repair. You are blind, permanently.” He said bluntly. No one had ever accused him of having tact or good bed-side manners. 

“Blind? I won’t see again?” The child asked in a small choked up voice. 

“No, you won’t. I am so very sorry child.” Severus was at least sincere in this.

Slowly tears started to run down the child’s face and Severus felt something in his heartbreak for the little boy who now would only have vague memories of color and what the world looked like. It was then that Severus vowed to himself that he would do whatever he could to help this boy. 

Lady Magic heard this vow and made it true, binding Severus and Harry tighter together than anyone would know. She hoped this would help heal both of her chosen and bring them back to the path she originally wanted for them.  
*Silent Compassion*  
By the time Nick arrived at Severus’ home, Harry had calmed down and was quietly listening to Severus read to him. Nick knocked on the doorframe to Severus’ bedroom and startled both Severus and Harry.

“Sorry to scare you both, I would have been here sooner but my last patient had exploding pustules and it was safer I handled them than the poor nurses,” Nick said with a smirk. He observed the small child slowly tensing up at his unexpected presence.

“It is alright child. This is Nicholas Griffith, he is a doctor and has been the one helping to care for you and make you well again.” Severus said to reassure the poor boy.  
“Nice to meet you, sir…” Harry said quietly.

“It is great to see you when you are awake for once. How are you feeling?” Nick said in his usual jovial tone.

“I am fine,” he said firmly, not wanting to be a nuisance. 

“Considering the amount of bruising you still have, I am not sure I believe you,” Nick mentioned skeptically. Severus observed the flush of embarrassment on the child’s face for being caught in his fib.

“Nick can’t help you unless you tell him if you are in pain and how you really feel. I know you have only just met us so you are not sure if you can actually trust us. But I swear to you that we mean you no harm and we only want to heal you.” Severus told the child in the calmest voice he could muster with his deep timbered drawl. 

Harry sat still and took in the reassurance in that calming voice. He already felt comfortable around Severus and that scared him down to his bones. He didn’t know this Nick, but for some reason, he trusted that Severus wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him while he was there. 

“I feel achy all over and my head is throbbing” Harry finally admitted. Severus smiled, pleased that the child confided in them. 

“Thank you for telling us that. We are going to give you some rather disgusting medicine, but you need to drink it all in order for it to help, okay?” Nick told the kid, rather impressed with how Severus got him to open up and trust them. 

“Yes sir.”

Nick helped him drink a No. 2 pain reliever and a muscle relaxant. Seeing the kid’s shock at the instant feel of relief made him think muggle-born. Silently he cast a diagnosis charm to make sure everything else was healing as it should. Letting Severus distract the kid while he read the results. 

“Tomorrow, after you have rested and had something to eat, we are going to bring in two people so we can see who you are. Like what your name is and if you have any relatives that could be missing you.” Severus watched as the boy tensed up at his words, a bad feeling started to form in his gut. “Child… who attacked you? Remember that it isn’t your fault and I can’t help you if I don’t know everything.”

Harry felt panic start to rise in his chest. What if he told them and they realized what a freak he really was? What if they took him back to the Dursleys? Uncle Vernon would make sure to kill him the next time, he just knew it. But, there was a quiet feeling within him, he couldn’t pinpoint it, but it made him want to trust Severus. Taking a deep breath he decided to do just that, his feelings hadn’t led him wrong yet. 

“My Uncle Vernon…” he felt the words catch in his throat unable to say anymore. 

Severus felt a deep kinship with this child. There was nothing like the betrayal of the family that is supposed to love and care for you but instead hurts you in the worst of ways.  
“Oh, child. I am so sorry. Can you tell me your family’s names so I can find your real name?” Severus asked, also hoping with the names of his family he could press charges as well for child abuse and attempted murder. 

It took less time for Harry to decide that he might as well trust Severus with everything, trusting that he would use the information for his benefit and not hurt him. “Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley of 4 Privet Drive, Surrey.” 

“Thank you,” Severus said quietly. A memory tickling the back of his mind of when his childhood friend went to her older sister’s wedding to one Vernon Dursley. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He had this bad feeling that he wasn’t going to like what was going to come from the revelations this child would bring forth. He sat back and took a good hard look at the boy, seeing past his injuries. Severus knew Petunia only had one sister, and while he did not know about Vernon having any siblings, the bone structure and dark messy hair screamed Lily and James. 

Why would Lily leave her child with her sister? She knew what Petunia was like.

This child also looked younger than Donovan Potter, the child he knew Lily did have back in 1980. Had Lily been pregnant when the Dark Lord attacked them or was there something else going on? Severus didn’t like not having all the answers but he knew he would find them. 

“You should get some more rest kid, tomorrow will be a long day” Nick interjected, pulling Severus from his thoughts. 

“Yes, you need to sleep, and tomorrow we will find your real name,” Severus said firmly. 

“What if… What if I don’t have a name?” Harry asked worriedly. 

“Then I will give you one that will suit you,” Severus reassured. It was the right thing to do because the boy gave a slight smile. 

“Will you read to me again sometime?” The child’s question was quiet and timid, but it gave him hope that he was asking for something so soon. 

“Yes, I will read to you again tomorrow. Good night child.” Severus tucked him in, thinking about how his mother used to do that for him when he was sick. The boy didn’t flinch this time, he smiled pleased. Following Nick out of the bedroom, he left the door cracked so he could check-in without disturbing the child through the night. Hopefully tomorrow they would finally have some more answers as to who the child was and why he was left with Vernon and Petunia. 

Out in the living area, Nick said his goodbyes to Severus and left him the results of the diagnosis so he could see how well the kid was healing. Severus poured himself a glass of scotch after Nick flooed out, sat on his favorite chair, and just tried to relax. Tomorrow would bring uncomfortable truths and would be emotionally stressful for both him and the child. He felt extremely sure that the child was Lily’s, but now he needed to know the circumstances. His cynicism voiced that no reason would be good enough for leaving her child to Petunia’s mercy. He had zero optimism for what would be discovered in the following days. 

Downing the rest of his drink, he checked in on the child, and then transfigured his sofa into a bed to get some sleep. Tomorrow he would be alert and ready for whatever challenges there would be in discovering the boy’s identity. He would also be ready to provide whatever comfort he could for the boy. Severus wasn’t the most touchy-feely and soft emotions type of person but, he could relate to the child and he knew his harsh temperament would only be a detriment to the boy. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt that child and ruin the trust he had finally gained.

Trust is such a precious and fragile thing.


	4. Chapter 3

The floo went off at six a.m. the next morning.

Severus had only been asleep for a couple of hours when his floo activated, allowing four cantankerous looking goblins into his home. When he had sent the letter to the goblins alerting them that the boy was awake, he definitely hadn’t expected them so early in the morning. 

“Good morning Grownok, I am sorry for not welcoming you into my home. I wasn’t expecting you so early.” Severus said with a sneer. The goblins always seem to enjoy Severus’ bad attitude, today was no different since they looked at him amused. 

“That was the point Potion Master Snape, can’t let you be prepared or you might try to trick us,” Grownuk said gruffly.

“Are you implying that I have tricked you before Grownok? High compliments coming from you Master Lineage Goblin, supposedly the most undeceived in all the goblins.” Severus challenged with a smirk, making Grownok growl at him. 

“Let us just get this over with. Where is the boy?” another goblin that Severus did not know the name of said firmly. 

“He is in the back room, if you would wait quietly in the doorway I will wake him and prepare him for your questions and procedures.” Severus requested, thinking about how he didn’t want to scare the boy with the sudden visit of the goblins. 

The goblins looked at each other, seeming to silently communicate before nodding in agreement. Severus led the way to his room in the back of the house. The boy was surprisingly awake when he entered the bedroom. Head tilted and listening hard, probably trying to figure out the world around him with no eyes.

“There are people with you sir?” Harry asked hesitantly, almost unsure if he could trust his own hearing to tell him the truth. 

“Yes. They are going to help me figure out who you are and what your name is.” Severus tried for reassurance, to show he wasn't just bringing strangers in to come to see him for no reason. 

“Okay.” Harry was facing the sound of Severus’ calming voice, trusting Severus to keep him safe from whoever came in with him. 

“Little one, they are going to prick your finger once to draw some blood to the surface and then test that blood to tell us all about you okay?” Severus asked him, keeping his tone low and comforting. The goblins were actually rather shocked to see this new side to the dour man.

“Okay.” Harry nodded giving permission. 

The goblins quickly got to work, having been told in the letter that the child may not know of magic so they were to keep their interactions to a bare minimum. Normally such a request would be insulting and may have been taken as the client being against creatures. Fortunately, they knew Severus pretty well in the bank as well as his no-nonsense personality that did not care for your race as long as you did your job quickly and correctly. 

Severus aided the goblins in getting the boy to hold out his hand and not flinch when the blood was taken from his finger and placed onto old ritual parchment. Severus put a plaster over the cut instead of healing the child and making him suspicious. 

“How about I get us some breakfast while we wait for the results? Are you hungry little one?” Severus asked, eager to see the result the goblins were currently angrily muttering over, but more concerned with taking care of the boy first. 

“Maybe something small?” Harry said softly, feeling a little too nauseous to eat much. 

“Okay, I will get you some oatmeal and maybe some fresh fruit. Are you okay with me leaving you alone here with our guests?”

“…Yes, I will be okay.” Harry took a deep breath deciding to be brave. He knew deep down that Severus wouldn’t let anything bad happen.

“Good. I will be right back little one.”

Severus made sure he was quick in getting them a small tray of food together that they could share. He was really pleased and proud of the trust the boy was instilling in him. He wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything to betray that trust in any way. When he got back to the bedroom he saw the child fidgeting nervously and facing the direction of where the goblins were talking to each other quite seriously. 

Setting the food down on the nightstand, he grabbed the brown sugar oatmeal he whipped together with some fresh berries and encouraged the boy to let him help him eat until he could learn to do it without any help. The child finally conceded to the help but was quite grumpy about having to depend on someone. By the time the child decided he was too full to eat the other half of his oatmeal, the goblins were ready to present their findings. 

“Grownok, what did you learn?” Severus asked calmly, putting the food to the side for now. 

“Many disturbing things that you aren’t going to like. To begin with, do you have any suspicions for who the boy’s family might be?” Grownok asked knowingly.   
Severus sighed, already knowing where this was going to lead. “I had suspected one family but I hope that I am wrong.”

“The report states that here is one Harrison Charles Potter, age 5, eldest twin to Donovan James Potter, son of James and Lily Potter. What is interesting is the fact that he is listed as your godson and the heir to more than the house of Potter.” Grownok stated in a monotone, observing the confusion and anger on Severus’ face and the worry on the child’s face.   
“How can he be my godson when I was never asked? I never attended any familial blessings like I did when I was asked to be Draco Malfoy’s godfather? Why isn’t he with the Potters?” Severus asked through clenched teeth.

“Unfortunately Lord Potter does not follow the old ways like his parents did. There would have not been a blessing at all, but Lady Magic must have deemed you a suitable guardian to the child Harrison anyway. She does not make mistakes. Also, we have on file that on the night of October 31st, 1981 the Potters reported that their son Harrison was killed in the attack on the house by Lord Voldemort. We have no other knowledge as to how Harrison got to be with his distant relatives or why they would claim him to be dead. I suggest hiring a private investigator or confronting the Potters directly. Finally is his health report which is most of what you already told us about except for a scar on his head that leads past his hairline is actually a curse scar that will need to be mended.”Grownok tried to keep it vague enough so the child wouldn’t automatically think of magic but also get his point across to Severus.

Severus looked to Harrison to see a small and confused child and Severus felt the unending need to hug and comfort the boy. “Well child, what do you think of your proper name?” Severus decided to start small and work his way up to the harder questions. He had to refrain from chuckling at the wrinkled up face the child made at his name.

“Does that have to be my name?” Harry asked cautiously.

“Well if you don’t like it then I suppose not, we could always change it to something better,” Severus said slowly, wondering where the boy was going with this. 

“I don’t want a name from the people who clearly are dumb or purposefully gave me away,” Harry said petulantly which just made Severus smirk in amusement. The child hesitated for a moment before seeming to gather the courage to speak his thoughts aloud. “Would you name me…maybe sir? I am sorry if that is too much! I can be fine with Harrison too…” 

Severus stopped his babbling by placing a hand on his shoulder gently. “Are you sure you would want me to pick your name child? I may be listed as your godfather but that doesn’t mean my input has to mean anything to you”

Harry took a minute to consider it before nodding. “I trust you to name me something good.”

Grownok cleared his throat, startling the boy quite badly. “Sorry to interrupt but we must leave. I will forward you the paperwork to change his name if you wish. As you are his godfather you have legal custody until the Potters have been contacted and alerting to their eldest survival.”

Severus looked at Grownok and in a very serious tone asked, “And how much would it cost me for you to not alert the Potters at all.”

A feral grin showed on Grownok’s face “I will send you my price.” Before Severus could say any more the Goblins took their leave through his floo in the living room once more.   
Severus turned back to the child that he had decided to take full responsibility for. He would make sure this precious child would be appreciated and loved instead of thrown out or living in the shadow of his famous twin. The Potters didn’t deserve such an amazing child. 

“If I name you, I want to do this properly by adopting you as well,” Severus said firmly, dedicating himself fully to this endeavor. 

“You really want me?” Harry asked, tears coming to his eyes. Sniffling, trying hard not to cry. 

“Oh child, of course, I want you. As long as you are okay with me being your family? You’ve just learned you have a real family out there. A mother, father, and brother and an old family name that you would be heir to.”

“But they threw me out. I thought they were dead. I didn’t even know I had a brother. You are the only one to have been nice to me. I want you…. Dad.” Harry softly added to the end, unsure if such a title would be welcome but Severus just smiled and carefully hugged the child, making sure not to scare him in the process. 

“Then I will adopt you, you will be Hadrian Kieran Prince, heir to the Prince Estate and my son.”

“Hadrian Kieran Prince.” Harry, now Hadrian, repeated to himself. Smiling enjoying the elegant name he was given. “Thank you, Dad”

Severus let go of the boy, his boy, and stepped back. “You should take a nap and I will get the supplies needed to adopt you. We have much to talk about still but I do not want to delay in making you, my son.”

Hadrian smiled and nodded. Already feeling tired from so much happening so early in the morning. Severus tucked him in and got to work filling paperwork, accepting the Prince estate that he had let sit out of his own wounded pride of his mother being thrown out of the Prince family. As well as brewing the blood adoption potion. He would take no risks in allowing anyone to take his new child away from him. Hadrian would be loved and cared for and he would show him that he didn’t need to see the world in order to experience it to its fullest.   
Three days later, some nasty ‘medicine’ for Hadrian, another visit from the goblins, one healed curse scar, and even more paperwork that Severus felt sure he was being buried under. Hadrian Kieran was officially the son of Severus Tobias Prince. When Severus finally got around to reading what other estates his son was the heir of, he was shocked to see the Peverell and Hufflepuff estate from Lily’s side of the family, alongside James’ Potter and Gryffindor Estate. It made him laugh because the Prince’s had control of the Ravenclaw Estate. ‘He would only need to marry a Slytherin and he could take over Hogwarts’ Severus thought in amusement. 

Only if Severus knew how accurate that statement would be nearly a decade and a half later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now should I do a time jump a few years or continue on from the age for a while longer?


	5. Chapter 4

It had been two weeks since Harry had become Hadrian Prince and found the best father in the whole world. 

For Severus it had been two weeks of realizing parenting is harder than it looks and parenting an abused little boy is even harder. But even with that being said, Severus fell more in love with his perfect little boy every day. He never once thought about who his original parents were or tried to treat Hadrian as more fragile than he actually was. 

Last week Hadrian was told about magic and how it was definitely real and not a trick. After one panic attack and a confession on what his Aunt and Uncle thought about magic, Hadrian was actually adapting to magic pretty well. Once Hadrian was more comfortable with magic Severus planned to teach him how to ‘see’ the world around him by using his magic and sensing the auras from nearby witches and wizards. 

Something that Severus should've thought of sooner but didn't due to the distraction of healing and taking care of a 5-year-old, was that his best friend and sometimes lover Lucius would get worried about his sudden silence and absence. So when Severus went into the kitchen to make lunch for Hadrian and himself he wasn’t expecting to hear Lucius yelling profanities from his floo. 

“Severus Snape! Where the fuck are you?! Goddammit, Severus do not make me come through this merlin dammed floo!” 

“Lucius I would appreciate you showing some of your pureblood decorum and stop shouting curse words for all of England to hear.” Severus interrupted Lucius’ tirade firmly. Exhaustion was clear on Severus’ face from the dark circles under his eyes. Lucius studied him for a moment before his head disappeared from the fire. Before Severus could even think to put up a repelling ward, Lucius stepped out of the floo into his home, looking impeccable as ever. 

“Severus you have been neglecting your health again. What potion are you working on now? It better be good and worth you looking like shit.” Lucius said calmly, but he was very concerned. He had never seen Severus like this before. 

Before Severus could respond a small voice called hesitantly from the hallway, “Daddy? Where are you?”

“I’m in the living room Hadrian, do you need help?” Severus called back, watching for Hadrian to turn the corner of the hallway, ignoring Lucius. 

“No… just keep talking?” Hadrian replied a little unsure he could do it but his Daddy had put special bars on the wall that he could follow safely to any part of the house without getting hurt. 

“Of course. We have a guest here so I don't want you to be startled or scared okay? Lucius has been a friend of mine for many years and he actually has a little boy around your age too.” Severus spoke slowly and loud enough his voice would carry to aid in leading Hadrian to him. He was so proud of Hadrian's progress over the past two weeks. 

Hadrian took slow steps, using his bar to guide him, he still wasn’t confident in walking around without his sight, but he trusted his Daddy. 

Lucius was feeling slightly forgotten but observed this new development carefully. He hadn’t know Severus had a child, feeling a little hurt that Severus had never told him. The boy definitely looked like Severus with his sharp cheekbones and dark hair, but his eyes were closed…no those eyelids were sunken in a way that could only mean nothing lay behind them. Birth defect maybe? Wasn’t unheard of these days especially from the older pureblood families. 

Lucius was pulled from his thoughts as he watched with unmasked surprise at Severus lifting his child up and swinging him in a circle and then hoisting the boy up so he rested on Severus’ hip. Severus was smiling in a way he hadn’t ever seen him smile, kissing his little boy on the forehead and congratulating him on doing a good job walking by himself. ‘What a curious development’ Lucius thought to himself before clearing his throat. 

Severus looked over to Lucius, his cheeks warming a little in an embarrassment of letting his guard down so much much while Lucius was watching them. 

“Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the Malfoy family, meet my son and heir Hadrian Prince. Hadrian, this is my closest friend and confidant. You are safe with him around. Since you are my son, he will guard you fiercely. I was actually thinking of naming him your godfather if he can control his mouth and how many curses come out of it.” Severus said teasingly, his eyes lit with mischief that Lucius hadn’t seen since they were in Hogwarts. 

“It is lovely to meet you, dear Hadrian Prince. Do not mind your father too much, he is just jealous I am more handsome than he is.” Lucius said with a tease back, grinning at Severus. Hadrian giggled softly, leaning his head closer to Severus shyly but not seeming to mind Lucius’ presence. 

“You are not more handsome than me, more arrogant is more like it.” Severus jabbed. 

“Yes, and you are just the biggest slice of humble pie there is,” Lucius said sarcastically. 

“More so than you, you bloody peacock.”

“Peacocks are elegant, noble, and a sign of nobility. You need better insults Sev.”

“You need a sense of shame, maybe I won’t make you godfather. You would be a horrible influence.”

Before Lucius could respond, Hadrian started laughing at their snipping. Both Severus and Lucius smiled at the bright smile on the boy’s face. Severus hoped he could continue to put that smile on his son’s face for the rest of his life. 

  
*Silent Compassion*

  
Hours later once Hadrian was asleep Severus was able to catch Lucius up to what had happened in the past several weeks. Lucius was disappointed that Severus hadn’t come to him for help, especially since he had a little boy the same age as Severus’ new son. 

“You never fail to amaze me Sev.” Lucius settled for instead.

“How’s that?” Severus asked frowning.

“You brought home a beaten up toddler who turned out to be your ex-best friend’s abandoned child and you just decide to blood adopt him and take him in as he is. You are truly a wonder. Have you ever thought about how things are going to go down in a couple of years once he attends Hogwarts and meets his brother? Or how about have you thought about what Tom is going to say once he returns from his current trip about you taking in the enemy’s kid?” Lucius said incredulously.

“None of that is amazing Lucius, you just live a sheltered life,” Severus said with a sigh, gathering his thoughts before continuing. “Yes I have thought of all of these things but none of it deters me from taking in and loving my new son. He is now of my blood and that is all that matters. The Hogwarts matter is tricky but we have years and between Tom, you, and me I believe we can find a tolerable solution. As to Hadrian’s eyesight, I plan to teach him an old version of mind magic once he is a little older. We will start with some beginner meditation and occlumency but once he has the basics down the real work will begin. There is an old technique for sensing the world through your magic, used to be used by the druids and mages of Merlin’s time. But there is also a way to see people’s auras around you in your mind’s eye so I plan to try to combine these techniques to give him the best view of the world I can, even if it is only within his mind. I will experiment with some potions too of course but the damage done to his eyes is extensive. His tear ducts weren’t damaged so he can still cry, but otherwise, all other function is gone.” Severus said grimly but determined all the same. 

“And what about telling Tom of your new heir?” Lucius pushed.

“I am going to tell him the truth and hope for the best,” Severus said bluntly. Lucius stared at him blankly. 

“What kind of sick Gryffindor plan is that?” 

“The only kind I have right now. I do not think his reaction will be as bad as you think Lucius, he has mellowed considerably since he was brought back as his younger self, with his sanity intact.”

“Yes. So mellow.” Lucius rolled his eyes at him. 

“Look just because he killed one of your peacocks doesn’t make him unhinged as he once was. I would have killed one of your peacocks for shitting on me too.” 

“They are a rare breed of albino peacock! They are prize-winning birds! Birds poop! We are wizards for Merlin’s sake, it can be cleaned instantly. There is no reason to take it out on the bird, it doesn’t understand the difference.” Lucius indignantly defended.

“You should be happy he just killed the bird instead of killing you.” Severus pointed out with a smirk, making Lucius grumble. They drank the nice scotch that Severus had kindly provided for them to unwind a little and sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them deep in thought about what was to come in the coming months and years. What would the repercussions be for taking in Hadrian Prince? Only time would tell and Severus felt whatever was to come was worth it for just one of the smiles that Hadrian could give him. Looking to Lucius, he cleared his throat and spoke seriously. 

“Would you be Hadrian’s godfather? I don’t plan on letting anything happen to me but I would feel better if there was someone who wasn’t the Potters or Dursleys to take in my son if I should pass prematurely.”

“You talk so pretty Severus, even of your own death. Yes, I will be Hadrian’s godfather. I swear to do right by him if you should die. I shall put Narcissa to work planning the blessing ceremony.”

“Please keep it small. Hadrian is still struggling with trusting strangers, which is why I hadn’t contacted you until now. I do not want to lose his trust.” Exhaustion showed on Severus’ face as he made the request.

“Go get some sleep Sev, take care of yourself so you can take care of your little boy. We will plan the ceremony, just us, and after that, we will see about introducing Draconis and Hadrian. It would do them both some good to be around kids their own age.” Lucius said as he stood, heading for the floo. “Goodnight Sev.” Lucius threw the floo powder down, calling out for Malfoy Manor, and was gone before Severus could even think up a reply. Sighing and deciding it was for the best, Severus went to check in on Hadrian before going to crash for the night as well. 

Sleep would do him some good and prepare him for the next day when even more uninvited guests would make their way into his home and disturb his sanctuary of peace.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support! I do not have an editor at this moment in time so I apologize for any mistakes!

The wards on Severus’ floo were going off yet again.

Without opening his eyes Severus already knew it was too early in the morning to be awake and whoever kept setting his floo off was going to die. Rolling out of his bed gracelessly, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes, Severus grabbed his wand from his bedside table and flicked it to show the smokey numbers of 4:17 in the bloody morning. He definitely needed to maim whoever was in his floo and then try to intake some caffeine so he could hide the body afterward.

Using his wand, Severus straighten his appearance some before stepping out of his bedroom and into the hallway. It had only been a couple of days since Hadrian let him set up his room separate from Severus’ room, but Severus made sure Hadrian’s room was the guest bedroom that was across the hall from him. Peeking into Hadrian’s room to find him still sound asleep, curled up in his big emerald comforter that Severus had given Hadrian from his old Slytherin supplies just until they could make it out shopping. Closing the door and putting a one-way silencing charm on Hadrian’s room so he wouldn’t wake up to the sounds of his new Daddy killing someone in the living room.

Grumbling to himself, Severus made his way to his floo that was sparking for attention. Lifting the wards to allow the call to come through, hoping that it was important so he wouldn’t just strangle the culprit to ending his first good night of sleep in two weeks.

Even before her face was showing in the fire, Narcissa’s voice was carrying through and echoing in his living room, “Severus Tobias Snape! How dare you not contact us for weeks. I had to hear from Lucius about your new ward and you know how pointless he is with details.” Narcissa lectured as she took in Severus’ appearance. Faintly in the background, Lucius could be heard protesting, both Narcissa and Severus chose to ignore him.

“Cissa you better have a good reason for waking me this early other than lecturing me,” Severus grumbled, resigning himself to Narcissa’s mothering, sitting down in front of the floor.

“Did you think that we wouldn’t have helped you, Severus? I understand bonding with the boy but you don’t have anyone else helping you. Will you accept a house-elf now? I am having Miffy make you some meals for the week. Merlin knows you can barely take care of yourself as it is. Now get out of the way Sev I am coming through.” Narcissa spoke with barely a breath between thoughts, not leaving Severus much time to move out of the way before Narcissa was making her way into his home and straight for his kitchen. Lucius the coward did not follow his wife into his home.

Seriously thinking about laying down on the floor and sleeping while Narcissa took over his home, but Severus knew that if Hadrian woke up that he needed Severus to be the one to be the buffer of Narcissa and her overwhelming personality. Getting off the floor he went into the kitchen and sat down at his kitchen island, watching Cissa work herself into a fury as she nitpicked everything that was and wasn’t in his cabinets.

“Honestly Severus, we have been friends for eight years. Please let us help you a little bit? You do that little boy no good if you neglect yourself in the process. We love you and just want you to be happy and more importantly healthy. I may not love you as Lucius does, but we have both been worried over the lack of communication over the last couple of weeks.” Cissa scolded him. Making them both some coffee, she handed Severus a mug of his favorite roast with no sugar and a little cream just the way he likes it. Cissa always had a way of making one feel like they were only two feet tall.

“I’m sorry Cissa. I didn’t mean to worry you both. I just didn’t want to scare or overwhelm Hadrian. I have helped take care of Draco before, I figured I could handle this. I am so tired though. I just want to give him the world. He deserves so much after everything he has been through. I do not know how to describe how I feel Cissa, but I never want to see him hurt again.”

“You love him. He is your little boy and you are going to be a good father Severus. But being a good father doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Lucius and I will help you, Draco would love to have a new friend, and once Tom is back from Egypt and he hears everything I am sure you will have more help than you know what to do with. Now I am going to get a house-elf in here to clean and stock up your cabinets, no arguments Sev, you are going to go take a shower, get dressed, and take a pepper up. I am going to have food ready for you to eat and then you are going to introduce me to your son once he is awake. We will go from there, okay?” Cissa may have made it sound like a suggestion but Severus knew she meant business and he didn’t have a choice but to do exactly as she said. Nodding, finishing off his coffee, and going to do as she said, slightly relieved to have someone here to help him.

*Silent Compassion*

After the best shower Severus has ever taken in his life, another cup of coffee, a pepper up, and some fresh, clean clothes, Severus was feeling more human and ready to take on the day. It was now nearing 7:30 in the morning and he could hear Narcissa speaking to a house-elf in the kitchen as well as the quiet noises of Hadrian beginning to wake up. Severus made his way to Hadrian’s room, knocking lightly on the door so he wouldn’t startle his jumpy son.

“Good Morning Hadrian… we have more guests here today. Still, someone, I trust so you don’t need to worry okay?” Severus spoke softly as he entered Hadrian’s room. Hadrian was sitting up in his bed, still coming out of his sleepy state, yawning quite big making Severus smile. Even with the blood adoption potion, Hadrian’s hair was still a little wild, much tamer, and darker in color than it had been prior but not even Severus’ DNA would calm Hadrian’s bed head.

“Good morning Daddy.” Hadrian sleepily responded with a tentative smile.

“Let’s get you showered and dressed, I will try to attack your hair, and then we will go have breakfast with my friend okay?” Severus found if he told Hadrian everything that was happening or going to happen he would remain much calmer.

“Okay, Daddy… Can I have a good morning hug?”

“Of course you can.” Severus smiled wide at his sweet boy’s request. It had become somewhat of an accidental routine for Severus to hug Hadrian right after he woke up. He had started to do it when Hadrian would wake up from nightmares but even after Hadrian would wake from a nap, Severus made sure to give him a big, long hug. Severus sat on the edge of Hadrian’s bed and pulled the small boy gently into his arms, just letting the small boy soak in the warmth and comfort of being held.

This had to be Hadrian’s favorite part of the day. He loved the secure feeling that came with having his Daddy hug him and hold him close. Just listening to his Daddy’s heartbeat calmed something deep inside of him.

“I love you Daddy.” the words still felt heavy and new to Hadrian, but they felt good to be able to say as well.

“I love you too Hadrian. Now let’s get you ready for the day.” Severus said before picking Hadrian up and taking him to the bathroom to make him presentable for the day’s adventures to come.

An hour later, with several drying charms and one broken hairbrush, Hadrian was dressed and his hair was mostly tamed. Keeping a tight hold onto his Daddy’s hand, Hadrian slowly walked with his Daddy through the house and into the kitchen where he could hear noises of other people moving about. Hadrian trusted his Daddy but meeting new people made him nervous. What if they didn’t like him? What if they convinced his Daddy that he shouldn’t have taken him in, that he was a burden? Hadrian didn’t want to lose his Daddy so soon after learning how it felt to be cared for.

Narcissa watched as Severus guided his little boy into the living room. The boy was so small, definitely looked younger than her Draco. She could see faint bruises and wounds that were on their last days of healing, some looked as if they would scar permanently though. A strong wave of sadness filled her for such a small child having experienced so much horror so soon in his life. She knew her son was spoiled and sheltered but she couldn’t regret it when staring at a boy who couldn’t have had a more different start to life than Draco had.  
Narcissa also saw how much Severus already loved his son. She knew that no matter what happened now that Severus would die for that poor injured child that had a death grip on Severus’ hand. She already pitied anyone who looked at Hadrian wrong or tried to date the boy once he was older. She would place bets that Severus would destroy anyone who tried to break his son’s heart.

“Hadrian, what can you hear?” Severus crouched down next to Hadrian, still letting his son keep ahold of his hand. Severus had started to ask this question to gauge how Hadrian’s body had begun to adapt to losing one of his senses. In two weeks Hadrian’s hearing had increased quite a lot as he tried to make sense of his surrounding environments.

“I hear… quiet light footsteps to the left,” Hadrian said focusing, head tilted and facing the direction of the house-elf that was making its way across the kitchen as it stocked Severus’ shelves. “I also hear a chair creaking close to you. The sound of bacon in a pan and the coffee machine is going as well.” Hadrian said with a firm nod.

“Good job, you are correct. Do you remember Lucius from yesterday? His wife Narcissa is sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. She is brewing more coffee because she knows how grumpy I am without my coffee.” Severus says to Hadrian, making the little boy smile. “There is also a house-elf to your left cooking breakfast and filling my cabinets with all kinds of unnecessary supplies that Narcissa is forcing upon me. Do you remember reading about house-elves last week?”

“Yes. They are small creatures that bond to wizarding families to help control their overflow of magic because without a bond their magic is wild and harmful. They are often considered servants but only families that are cruel and don’t know they will be punished by Lady Magic treat their house-elves poorly.” Hadrian recited with a firm nod. Narcissa smiled, Severus was going to make himself a little Ravenclaw if he kept at it like this.

“Good job Hadrian.” Severus praised, kissing the top of Hadrian’s head, making Hadrian smile brightly up at Severus. “Now can you welcome Narcissa into our home as Lucius taught you yesterday?”

Hadrian nodded, a serious expression coming over his face. Keeping on hand firmly in Severus’ hand as he bowed as gracefully as a five-year-old can.

“Welcome to the Prince household Lady Narcissa. I am Hadrian Prince, heir to Severus Prince, and I will offer the best of my um… hospitally while you are here.” Hadrian tried his best and for five years old with only one lesson, Severus was very proud.

“Hospitality not hospitally but good job Hadrian, you did very good for your first try.” Severus corrected gently, making sure to hug Hadrian while he did so Hadrian would know the correction wasn’t a negative.

“Thank you Heir Hadrian Prince, I am looking forward to getting to know you and will enjoy your gracious offer of hospitality,” Narcissa said with a smile, seeing how easy it was to adore this small child.

Hadrian blushed embarrassed but also pleased with the praise from both Narcissa and his Daddy.

“Now let’s get some food in you and Narcissa can fuss over us both afterward,” Severus said as he picked Hadrian up and set him in a chair across from Narcissa and next to him. Miffy served them all breakfast and in between eating his meal, he helped Hadrian eat his breakfast.

Narcissa refrained from asking any questions until after they had all finished eating breakfast, just taking the time to observe the flow and bond between Severus and Hadrian. Once they finished their meals and Miffy had taken all the dirty dished out of the way, Narcissa faced Hadrian.

“Hadrian, I have a son named Draco who is the same age as you. He doesn’t have very many friends so I was wondering if you would mind if he came over to visit tomorrow? I know it isn’t much time to prepare but I think you could help Draco out by being friends with him.” Narcissa asked Hadrian, wanting him to know that it was all up to him. Severus was unsure how Hadrian would respond but was grateful Narcissa wasn’t forcing Draco upon them.

“You want your son to be friends with me?” Hadrian asked unsurely. No one had wanted him to be near their kids before. Normally nobody wanted him near others at all. Maybe this magical world was different.

“Yes, I really would like you and Draco to be friends. But you don’t have to be if you don’t want to Hadrian, this is entirely up to you.” Narcissa reassured.

“I… I would like to be your son’s friend if he likes me.” Hadrian said shyly, making both Severus and Narcissa smile.

“I am sure he is going to love you. Now, your Daddy requires a nap, would you mind keeping me company this afternoon? If not I am sure that Lucius would like to hang out with you again.” Narcissa said, watching both Severus’ and Hadrian’s faces. Severus frowned unsure about leaving his little boy alone so soon, and Hadrian looked deep in thought as he considered Narcissa’s offer seriously.

“We will stay in the house?” Hadrian asked unsure if he could leave with someone he didn’t know.

“Yes we will stay here and your Daddy will be right up the hall just in case you need him.”

“Okay, I would like to spend the day with you Lady Narcissa,” Hadrian said with a nervous smile. Severus hugged Hadrian close to his chest.

“You come to get me if you need me okay Hadrian? Don’t worry about coming to wake me up. I love you and you are the bravest little boy I know.” Severus said quietly to Hadrian.

“I love you too Daddy, go get sleep so you can have dinner with me tonight like we always do.”

“Promise I will be awake and ready to have dinner together.” Kissing Hadrian’s head one last time before entrusting Hadrian to Narcissa’s care while he slept. Narcissa nodded at him in reassurance before starting up a conversation with Hadrian.

It wouldn’t be long before the days of it being just Severus and Hadrian would become rare. Lucius and Narcissa were always good at inserting Severus into their lives so he wasn’t alone. Severus having Hadrian didn’t make a difference to either one of them, just another lonely Prince boy to love and bring into the family.


End file.
